In the past few days, I’ve had a couple of experiences with building and working with groups at unusual speed and depth.
This begs the question: is it possible to form and perform better in groups? And, if it is possible, how can we set ourselves up for success?
Unsurprisingly, the key ingredient seems to be trust. The more trust that’s built, and the sooner, the better groups tend to work.
And that leads to a question about group formation: how can we go about identifying, inviting, and enrolling the right people so that we have high trust without groupthink?
I don’t have a single coherent answer yet, but the principles seem to have to do with people, projects, and processes: who’s involved, what they’re working on, and how they work with each other.
In many ways, that boils down to good leadership: both of selves and of the group. Everyone has to be open and competent enough to be a potential fit, and someone has take responsibility for the group’s overall way of relating and working.
Well-selected, well-facilitated groups are much more effective — and fun — than the other kind.
How can you build toward that? How might you build on success?
Colin Steele 